Bxtrglab alarm



Sept. 16 1924.

. A. J.. PARISSI BURGLAR ALARM I .File-d Nov. 5, 1920 I @thune Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES ANTHONY J. PARISSI, OF COHOES, NEW YORKL BURGLAR ALARM.

Application led November 5, 1920.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that VI, ANTHONY J. PAiiissi, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BurglarAlarms, of which the following is a. speciiication.

This invention relates to improvements in burglar alarm controlling devices.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple and etlicient alarm control member which may be conveniently operated by a swinging movement of the foot of an employee of a bank or other financial institution should such employee be attacked by a burglar, whereby an alarm will be sounded to call in assistance.

ln accordance with this invention, a bank or other institution is connected witha station from which help may be summoned, the station being provided with an indicator and the place ot business being equipped with an alarm control which is adapted to be operated by the foot of one of the attendants or employees, even though his hands might be uplifted in obedience to a command from a robber. lt is also usual to employ an audible signal such as an alarm, in close proximity lto the bank or other institution, so that a law officer in the immediate vicinity can be promptly summoned upon the sounding of the alarm.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved alarm control member capable of being conveniently operated by a slight swinging movement of the foot in case of a holdup, whereby an alarm may be sounded to summons assistance.

Another object oic this invention is to provide simple and eicient circuit control mechanism, to be operated by the foot of the operator, without being observed by the robber, thereby enabling an alarm to be Sounded, and help summoned without the use of the hands and while the same are in an uplitted position.

A still further object of this vinvention is the provision of means :tor guiding the foot ot an employee to insure actuation of the control member, and at the same time provide a suitable rest for .the foot when the alarm mechanism is not in use.

ln devices of this character it is extremely important to so construct and arrange the control device so as vto avoid accidental sounding of the alarm, as in the case of a.A

Serial No. 421,934.

clerk carelessly striking the device with his foot, or a charwoman striking the device with a broom or mop in cleaning up the room. Therefore one of the objects of the invention is to so provide a housing to shield the control device, and arrange the latter insuoli manner as to necessitate a combined forward and upward movement of the foot within the housing to operate a control member to effect the sounding of an alarm, thereby eliminating any possibility of accidenty,

ally lsounding a false alarm by inadvertently striking the control member.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a vertical section lof my improved burglar alarm mechanism, showing i the control member actuated by the foot or' an operator to sound an alarm.

Figure 2 .is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a. detail top plan view of the foot control member.

Fig. t is a detail transverse section of the same, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic View ot a layout showing a series of alarin control devices tion 10, a top 11, and a front section 18,

from the lower front edge of which depends aprotecting rib 29; the top and front of the housing, and the protecting` rib being covered -by a' protecting plate 3 0. 13 indicates substantially U-shaped supporting brackets, the upper arms 12 thereof extending through grooves 12, formed in the top 11, the v ertical arins 12a of the brackets extending through grooves 145 in the back section 10, while the lower arms 14 extend substantially parallel with the arms 12, and are securely Vfastened to the floor, or other suitable support.

lSecurely fastened to the inner face of the back section 10, and extending substantially the full width thereof is a foot -guiding block 15, covered on its outer and upper faces with a metal covering 1,6, which constitutes an etlicient shield and protector' for the block as well as a decoration or trimming for the same. The upper surface 17 of the block 15 is inclined upwardly toward the rear, and the thickness of the block is such that the front wall 17a is in the rear of the vertical Vplane of the front face of the front section 18, of the housing.

Located within the housing, and hinged at 20 to the inner lower edge of the front section 18, is a contact control member' 19. A Hat spring 21 is secured to the underside of the front section 18 of the housing and the under surface of the control member 19, the tension of the spring being such as to swing the gate down to a position against the edge 21 of the block 15, for ready engagement of an operators foot.

A pair of parallel conducting wires or strips 22 and 23 are securely fastened to the under surface of the top 11, a layer of insulating material such as asbestos or the like 21 being interposed between the under surface of the top 11 and the wires or conducting strips 22 and 28. On the upper surface of the control member 19 is a layer of insulating maf terial 25 and secured to the face thereof are angularly disposed shunting strips 26. These strips are bowed upwardly near their centers to insure eicient contact with the wires or conducting strips 22 and 23, for the purpose of shunting the circuit therethrough as the control member 19 is swung upwardly to sound an alarm as shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

A latch 27 is mounted in a recess 28 formed in the inner face of the back section 10 of the housing, the latch 27 being engaged by a spring 28 to normally urge the same outwardly to lock the control member 19 in a f raised position, after the same has once been swung upwardly to sound an alarm. The latch 27 is provided with an extension 2? which operates in a notch 87 formed in the top 11. Mounted in a recess 86 in the top 11 is a plunger 35a, the inner end of which engages the extension 27 and the opposite end is provided with a push button 35. Interposed between the push button and a flanged wall of the recess 86, is a spring 36', the tension of which normally forces the plunger outwardly to normal position.

In operation, an employ will ordinarily have his foot on the door, but in a state of rest the foot may .be on the inclined surface 17, or on the top of the housing if desired. However should the employee be held up, and his foot should be on the inclined portion of block 17, he simply moves his foot away from him and the inclination of the support guides the toe up against the control member 19, and swings the latter upwardly, which makes contact and quickly sounds an alarm. Of course if the foot at the time of the holdup is resting on the top of the housing or is on the iioor, it is quite an easy matter to move it into the guideway to aetuate the control member. When the control member is operated to bring the wires or strips 26-22 and 23 into Contact relation to sound an alarm, the rear edgeof said member rides upon the face of the latch 27 until the hook of the latter is passed which holds the control member in contact forming relation and even though the foot of the operator is withdrawn, the sounding of the alarm is continued. The incline face of the block 15 facilitates the yinsertion of the foot and guides the latter toward the control member 19 and insures operation of the same, consequently an employee does not have to lose time in kicking around to find the alarm operating member, nor does he have to resort to any unusual movement in sounding an alarm. Furthermore the inclined surface 17 of the block 15 will tend to cast ott1 foreign objects which might be carelessly or accidentally thrown under the housing, and which might other rise accumulate under the control member and cause accidental sounding of an alarm.

In actual installation, a series of the circuit control devices may be employed, as indicated diagrammatically at A and B, in the conducting wires 22 and 28 being connected by means of the connecting wires 22 and 28 respectively. rIhe wires 22 and 28 are preferably brought downwardly and have their terminals secured to the inner face of the back section 10 of the housing; the terminal of the wire 28 being arranged above the terminal of the wire 22 as shown in F ig. 5 In this way an efficient connection may be made with the terminals of adjoining sections A and B, without fear of the connecting wires 22 and 28 becoming crossed.

If desired, a direct circuit breaking switch may be employed in place of the shunting mechanism shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8, and when such a mechanism is employed, the top of the housing 11 is provided on its underside with a recess 81, within which is located a spring contact 32, having a contact lip 88 projecting therefrom, the lip being employed to normally close a circuit through contact plate 84 on the adjacent surface of the top 11. The contact 32 is adapted to be engaged by the hinged control member 19 and forced away from the contact plate 34:; as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, for the purpose of breaking the circuit and sounding an alarm.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a very simple and eifcient cirof a mop or broom.

cuit controlling means has been provided, whereby an operator may by moving `his foot up the inclined surface of the block 15 and raising the control member 19 to an operative position, thereby breaking the circuit and locking the control member and causing the circuit to be broken and continuously sound an alarm.

It is obvious that the top 1l may constitute a foot rest if so desired, in which instance a very slight movement of the foot to a position below the front plate 18, would be required to operate the control member as previously described.

As previously pointed out, the invention possesses two very important advantages over the known state of the art. One is that the construction affords a guide for the introduction of the foot to actuate the control member, hence avoiding the necessity of an employee unnecessarily moving or' swinging his foot around in an attempt to locate the means for sounding an alarm. The arrangement of the parts is such that in* the easiest and most natural movement 'of the foot will iind the guideway and once the latter is found the alarm i's sure to be sounded.

The second advantage is inthe protection the construction affords againsty accidental sounding of the alarm. Considerable diiiiculty has been experienced 'and in some instances misunderstanding has arisen between banks and the police department because of false alarms. p This very frequently occurs through innocent parties accidentally striking the control member. Some times a clerk will inadvertently place his :toot on the bars in devices now in use, or a sweeper in cleaning the room will strike the bar, which of course sounds the alarm. In the construction described it would almost require the wilful action of anyone to sound a false alarm, inasmuch as the control device is located well within the guideway and away from striking position The front of the block 15 will receive the blow from a broom or the toe or" a clerk when standing on the floor.` .Furthermore the-inclination of the face of the block preludes the possibility ot accumulated foreign refuse choking the guideway and preventing operation of the control member.

lVliat I claim is:

1. A control for an electrically operated alarm, comprising an inverted housing, a movable alarm control member mounted under the housing and adapted to lbe moved `upwardly therein, and a 'forwardly projecting combined foot guide and guard Jrhe surface or' which is: above the ioor and below and spaced from the housing' and the alarm' control member, whereby to prevent accidental actuation of the alarm control mein- Vsame and sound an alarm.

toward the support, means between the alarm control member and the support `to cause sounding of an alarm when the alarm control member` is moved upwardly, and a toot support and guide the Lsurface of which is above the floor and below the support and spaced from the alarm control member, the trout edge of the foot support being in advance of the vertical plane oit the rear edge oi the alarm controla member, whereby an article carelessly moved on the floor will encounter the guide and prevent accidental actuation of the alarm control. by` said article. v y

3. A control for an electricallyv operatedl alarm comprisingan upper' foot support, an alarm control member mounted below the upper foot support, alarm sounding means within the upper foot support with which the'alarm memberv is adapted to cooperate, and an upwardly `and rearwardly vinclined combined lower foot support andfoot guide vmounted below and spaced from the control l ly projecting combined foot guide and foot support mounted under the inverted housing and the alarm control, the upper Sur'- -face ofthe combined foot guide and support inclining upwardly toward the rear of the housing and located above they floor whereby when a persons tootis placed on the support and thrust rearwardly the upper portion of the foot will be guided into co-ntactwith the control member and a-ctuate 5. A cont-rol for an electrically operated holdlup alarm comprising an inverted housing, aI pair ot 'electrically charged conductors within the inverted housing, a control member movably mounted under the housing, strips supported on the upper surface of thecontrol member and adapted to cooperate with t-he charged conductorsl .when moved into contact therewith, a combined foot support and guide located under the overhanging portieri of the housing and spaced therefrom to form a foot guide, the upper surfaceof' the :toot support being spaced from the Hoor. upwardly and rea-rwardly inclined, and means for locking the control member in position when moved upwardly within the housing, whereby an operators foot when thrust rearwardly on the inclined surface of the foot support will be guided against the control member and an alarm will be sounded and the lock will hold the control member in alarm sounding position.

6. A control for a hold-up alarm comprising an inverted housing, a control member hinged belowvthe overhanging portion of the housing, electric conductors mounted. within the housing and with which the control member operates, an inclined guideway located above the floor and below and spaced from the hinged control member, and means for locking the control member in `operative position with the conductors after operation by insertion of the foot of an attendant in the inclined guideway.

7. A control for an electric hold-up alarm comprising an inverted overhanging housing, a foot control member hinged to the underside of the overhanging portion of the inverted housing, a foot support located below and spaced from the control member, the upper surface of the foot support being inclined upwardly and rearwardly to form a foot guide for operation of the control member, the foot support having a substantially vertical front wall which extends below the inclined surface to form a bar ier to prevent accidental operation of the foot control.

8. A control for electric hold-up alarms comprising a housing, circuit breaking means mounted in the housing, a foot support located under and spaced from the circuit breaking means, the upper surface of the support being above the floor and inclining upwardly toward the rear to direct the foot of an operator into engagement with the circuit breaking means to sound an alarm, substantially U-shape braces for bracing the housing, the upper arms of the braces 4extending across the upper portion of the housing and the lower arms of said braces receiving the foot support and secured to the floor to anchor the mechanism.

9. A control for electric hold-up alarms comprising a housing, a control member hinged below the housing, a spring actuated latch depending from the housing and with which the control member cooperates to form a lock for holding ,said member in alarm sounding` position when actuated, a plunger mounted in the housing, and positioned to engage the latch to disengage the same from the control member to reset the latter, and a guideway below the control member to guide the foot of an operator to said member to sound an alarm.

l0. A control for an electric hold-up alarm comprising a housing formed with an open foot receiving guideway having an inclined surface spaced from the lbottom of the housing, electric alarm ,sounding means within the housing including a hinged control member, and a spring to normally swing the control member across the inner end of the foot receiving guideway, whereby when the foot of an operator is inserted in the guideway the toe thereof will contact with the control member and cause' sounding of an alarm.

ll. A control for electrically operated hold-up alarms comprising an inverted overhanging housing, electric connections within the overhanging portion of the housing, a swinging control member mounted on the underside of the overhanging portion of the housing and spaced from the bottom of the housing means for holding the control member in an inclined position and away fronr4 the electric connections in the housing, and a guard resting on the floor below and spaced from the control member and in advance of the vertical plane of the latter, whereby to prevent the foot of an operator standing in front of the housing or a mop or broom when sweeping, contacting with the control member. Y

l2. A control for electrically operated hold-up alarms, comprising an invertedy overhanging housing, electric connections within the overhanging portion of the housing, a swinging control member mounted on the underside of the overhanging portion of the housing and spaced from the bottom of` the housing means for holding the control member in an inclined position and away from the electric connections in the housing, a guard depending from the front edge of the housing below the forward edge of the swinging control member, and a guard lo` cated below and spaced from the control member to prevent the foot of a person standing in front of the housin(Y or a mop or broom when sweeping contacting with the control member.

13. A rcontrol for electrically operated hold-up alarms, comprising an inverted overhanging housing, electric connections within the overhanging portion of the housing, a swinging control member mounted on the underside of the overhanging portion of the housing and normally spaced from the bottom of the housing, means for holding the control member in an inclined position and away from the electric connections in the housing, and a guard depending from the front of the housing below the forward edge of the control member, whereby to prevent accidental striking of the control member and sounding a false alarm.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ANTHONY J. PARISSI. 

